Mike Dawson

Mike "Daws" Dawson (20 May 1920-24 January 2008) was a US Army Private First Class who served in the 502nd Pathfinders, 1st Squad during World War II.

Biography
Mike Dawson was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England in 1920, the illegitimate son of a rich father and a poor mother. Dawson later emigrated to the United States, where he joined the US Army airborne troops. He was assigned to the US 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment's pathfinders, fighting in the Battle of Normandy. He was known to never wear a helmet (as he claimed that it messed up his aim), and to ask squadmates if they believed in fate. In September 1944, he fought in Operation Market Garden as a member of Sergeant Matthew Baker's squad. He survived the war, and he died in 2008 at the age of 87.